Domestic Applicant Requirements

As a domestic applicant to the Penn State Smeal MBA Program, please submit the following application components. The application should be completed online and all supplemental documents should be mailed in one envelope.

Recommendations should be provided from two people you feel are able to present a specific evaluation of you professionally. Recent work or military supervisors are most appropriate.

Official GMAT/GRE Scores

Scores must be submitted directly from the testing agency. To expedite your application review, you may also include an unofficial copy of scores with your supplemental documents (official scores are still required).

Official Transcripts

Two official transcripts must be submitted from every educational institution attended. International students must also submit official copies of the graduation certificate, degree certificate, and diploma. Scanned copies of these official documents are needed at the time of submission. If admitted, official copies will then be required. Failure to provide original copies to our program in a timely could greatly delay other University processes.

Penn State Graduate Admissions Process

Admission is granted first by the Penn State Smeal MBA program and then by the Penn State Graduate School. The MBA program recommends admission to the Graduate School, which then verifies authenticity of documents, checks minimum requirements, and makes the final admissions decision.

The Graduate School does not act on your application without a recommendation from the Penn State Smeal MBA program. Questions regarding the status of your application should be directed to the Penn State Smeal MBA program by emailing smealmba@psu.edu.

Application Fee Waivers

Application fee waivers are only offered in the cases below. If you qualify under one of the following, please email smealmba@psu.edu with your qualification status to request a fee waiver code.

Penn State Alumni

Active duty U.S. military or U.S. veteran

Individuals reapplying to the Penn State Smeal MBA program from a previous year

GMAT/GRE Scores

GMAT/GRE scores, in combination with the undergraduate academic record, are an indicator of an applicant’s ability to manage the academic rigors of the MBA Program.

GMATPenn State Smeal MBA, Full-Time Code: 2660

The GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) is suggested for all Smeal MBA candidates. Official score reports must be sent directly from Pearson-VUE. Your GMAT score must be less than five years old at the time you apply. We urge all applicants to take the test before February 1st of the year of your intended enrollment. For more information and testing locations, visit www.mba.com.

GREPenn State Smeal MBA, Full-Time Code: 2660

Official score reports must be sent directly from ETS and must be less than five years old at the time you apply. We urge all applicants to test prior to February 1st of the year of your intended enrollment. For more information and testing locations, visit: http://www.gre.org.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

The Smeal College of Business has a strong commitment to ethics and integrity as reflected in our Honor Code. The admissions committee will not tolerate any form of plagiarism or appearance of impropriety in an applicant’s materials.

Plagiarism Includes:

Copying sentences, phrases, or paragraphs exactly as they appear in the original source

Should you have any questions about what constitutes adherence to our policies, please consult "Plagiarism & You" linked above. If you still need clarification, please contact us at smealmba@psu.edu.

Agents and Consultants

Penn State recognizes that agents or consultants are retained in many parts of the world to assist students in applying to colleges and universities in the United States. However, Penn State does not partner with agents to recruit students nor administer the application process. Agents/consultants retained by students to help with the application process are not recognized as representatives of the University and do not have a contractual agreement or partnership to represent Penn State.

Please ensure that any agent/consultant engaged adheres to principles of ethics in the admission process, including guidelines regarding academic integrity. To ensure academic integrity, all essays will be confirmed through Turnitin for Admissions authenticity software.